Spectacular
by xNewEnglanderx
Summary: An elderly man decides to fulfill his last wish by witnessing the Moulin Rouge's newly famous show. But will his plans be devastated upon learning that the lead star, Satine, is dead? Or is it possible that this mystery man can actually help?


He sat down on an old, weathered bench beaten down over the years by the ferocious, pounding rain and the continuous and persistent rays of the sun. The bench had been re-painted a little less then a month ago, and already the thin layer of newly applied red paint was beginning to crack and peel like irritated skin does after a severe sunburn. The streets that lay ahead of him, both close by and in the distance were bustling with noise and movement, even though the skies threatened to open up and unleash their fury in any minute. So, while people shouted commands and horses trotted up and down without any momentary pauses, he found sanctuary and solitude on the bench.

He sat down for a few reasons. The first, was to escape the ceaseless commotion that seemed to enrapture and control this small town. The next, was just to give in to the will of his tired aching bones and muscles and rest for a change. But, the main reason was to read an article in the newspaper he had just bought. He had always thought the newspaper to be a waste of paper, time, and money. To him, it just consisted of a few sheets of paper flooded with the imaginations and worthless opinions of gossiping storytellers whose sole purposes was to publish their articles for the nosey, curious, and gullible people to scoop up and read. And _he _was none of _those_.

But this one was different. After a solid week and a half of constant positive raving reviews, he just didn't know if he could take it any longer. If one more person had told him to just at least see what the show was about, he would have gladly wrung their neck and strangled them. Hopefully, after paying a nickel and taking two minutes to read a page of text, all of the persistence would stop.

There was no need to flip through the pages as he found just the page he wanted on the front. Sighing heavily, he commanded his eyelids not to flop over his tired eyes as he read. This is what the article said:

**MOULIN ROUGE'S SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR IS JUST THAT-Spectacular!**

After years and years of loyal and consistent entertainment, the Moulin Rouge has been a source of heat, excitement, lust and thrills. It has supplied us with nothing less then full enthrallment and is our constant escape into dream land. But still, after all that it's given us, we would've never expected something so superb and amazingly brilliant as the show that has everyone raving: Spectacular, Spectacular!

_(continued on page 3)_

The opening paragraph sounded promising and he already cursed himself for being interested to read the rest of the article. Swearing, he dared himself to flip to the third page and continue.

From the beginning all the way to the end, there is not one second in which we are bored. Beautifully written, Spectacular, Spectacular tells the story of a true and undying romance which we rarely see. A love so strong and impenetrable that neither conflicts nor villains can destroy. Excellent lighting, mesmerizing costumes and breath-taking sets transform this tale of fantasy into an actual reality in which we all would love. This is a show that appears only once in a lifetime and makes everyone wish that it would last for two lifetimes.

Paris

Genevieve Beaudette, Writer

Closing the newspaper, he placed it gingerly beside him. It had just been two paragraphs and yet, he had amazingly wanted more. He wanted to know more, see more, hear more, he wanted to actually _be _there. In all his years, he had seen a lot, but his days were dwindling to an end. He lived alone as a cranky, creaky old man who loved nothing more then to moan and complain. His one wish was to be able to do something enjoyable before his life timer went off and signaled his end. And this might be a result of his craziness, he decided, but this show was a perfect opportunity for him to fulfill his last wish.


End file.
